How To Grow Anise In Your Backyard Herb Garden

Quick Facts

Harvesting: use tender leaves. Save seeds for next year and licorice flavoring.

Anise or Pimpinella anisum is one of the fragrant herbs for seasoning that is easy to germinate if you use fresh seed. Old seed tends to be harder to start so only keep the seed two years.

Germinating

You’ll have better luck if you sow directly as the root system of the seedlings resents transplanting. Sow outside in early May (USDA 4-6) at 4 seeds to the inch. Thin out to 8-inches apart in the row

Growing Anise

Once you’ve germinated the seeds, grow anise in full sunshine and 55°F air temperatures to stop them from growing tall and thin. High temperatures will cause the plants to grow quite tall.
Once all danger of frost has passed, plant outside and try to avoid disturbing the roots.
You may find the seeds don’t ripen for you because of a too-short growing season. If this is the case, sow 6-8 seeds per pot several weeks before your normal spring outdoor-planting date and then transplant the entire pot into the ground. Do not divide or separate the seedlings. Germinate seeds at 60-72°F and sow them approximately one-quarter inch deep. Seeds should germinate in two weeks. Cover very lightly as this is a fairly small seed.

General Use

Use the anise leaves with their licorice flavor anywhere you like the taste.‘Aniseed helpeth the yeoxing or hicket and should be given to young children to eat, which are like to have the falling sickness , or to/such as have it by patrimony or succession.’
Gerard